Lebanese fearful as Gulf expels dozens accused of Hizbullah links

DUBAI: Ahmed, a Lebanese worker living in the United Arab Emirates, closed down his Facebook page and started to shun some of his compatriots.

His intention was to sever all links to people associated with Lebanon’s Hizbullah after Gulf Arab states classified the Muslim organisation as a terrorist group.

Ahmed, a medical worker in his early 50s who declined to give his full name, is not alone. Anxiety and apprehension are unsettling many of the up to 400,000 Lebanese workers living in the Gulf after last month’s announcement by the Gulf Cooperation Council - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

The rich states, where Lebanese have worked for generations, some achieving wealth and influence, have threatened to imprison and expel anyone linked to the Iranian-allied group that fights in support of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war.

The GCC move on Hizbullah is part of a struggle pitting Sunni Saudi Arabia against Iran.

The rivals back different factions in Lebanon where Hezbollah wields enormous political influence as well as having a powerful military wing.

Hassan Elian, who heads an association campaigning for Lebanese deportees from the Gulf, said about 100 had been ejected from Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE in the past two months. There are no official figures to corroborate this.

While that total may appear small, the expulsions caused widespread fears amongst Lebanese expatriates, who send back about $2.5 billion to Lebanon a year, that they are vulnerable.

Some have expressed worries that they might not be expelled but their residency permits might not be renewed if they are suspected of being sympathetic to Hizbullah.

Questioned about the possibility of further expulsion of Lebanese workers from GCC countries because of their relationship with Hezbollah, a Lebanese foreign ministry official said the Beirut government was following the matter.

Relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia have been plunged into crisis since Riyadh halted $3 billion in aid to the Lebanese army - a response to the Beirut government’s failure to condemn attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.

"We have no political activity, but we do support Hizbullah because it is a resistance movement against Israel," said Hassan, a civil servant working in Kuwait, one of only a few Lebanese who agreed to comment for this article.

"Many Lebanese are worried because of the recent measures," Hassan, who asked that his family name not be used, told Reuters.

Hassan said some have refrained from buying new possessions because of fears for the future, while others planned to send their families home.

Deportees declined to be interviewed, fearful for relatives still in the Gulf or hoping to return when tensions between Lebanon and the GCC calm down.

Ahmed, the medic, said he knows other people who have closed their Facebook accounts because they were afraid that they would be targeted for being friends with someone from Hizbullah.

"People are afraid, and I am afraid too," said Ahmed.  "We would love to go back to Lebanon, but there are no jobs, especially now when so many refugees are jostling for work.